Capuchins from Kerala established a mission in the state of Assam about 15 years ago. Assam is on the opposite side of India, perched right below the Himalayan mountains in the far northeast of India. The mission in Assam is thriving among a people who are quite different from most Indians. Assam and adjoining states are neglected by the central government of India. Basic services are scarce. Capuchin missionaries have won the hearts of the people. Many people have converted from atheism and paganism to Catholicism, and vocations are flourishing. It is very much a mission territory with great needs. The Seraphic Mass Association has helped the missionaries build schools, seminaries and churches for the growing number of Catholics. The people of Assam are poor by any standard. Most are subsistence farmers who live in very frugal homes, mostly made of tin and bamboo. But they want the hope that our Catholic faith offers.
